August 31, 2012 •
Our Green Thumb Before and After
Doing our part to Keep Akron Beautiful
As our intern Joanna Kamvouris wrote in June, State and Federal Communications adopted a planter on the sidewalk outside the office at the corner of Mill Street and South Union in downtown Akron. The project is part of a larger beautification effort throughout the city by two organizations – Keep Akron Beautiful and the Downtown Akron Partnership.
We send a big thank you to IT Assistant Ken Kelewae and his wife, who selected and arranged the plants. The amazing transformation is also thanks to IT Assistant David Jones, who helped in watering and attending to the plants all summer. We are rather proud of the results! Here are the “before and after” pictures:
August 31, 2012 •
Congratulations to the SGAC Professional Certificate Program Graduates!
What a great accomplishment!
We would like to take this opportunity offer our best wishes to the graduates of the inaugural class of SGAC’s State Government Affairs Professional Certificate Program.
State and Federal Communications had two people in the program. President and CEO Elizabeth Bartz and Client Specialist Myra Cottrill received their certificates at the SGAC Annual Business Meeting and Lunch on August 8.
According to SGAC, “The SGAC Professional Certificate Program requires the participants, of which there are more than 100 including the recent 25 honorees, to complete a minimum of 12 courses focusing on: Ethics/Ethical Leadership; Complying with State Lobbying Laws; Building and Managing Coalitions; Legislative Trends; Lobbying and the Legislative Process; Media and Communications Training; Understanding National State Government Organizations and others.”
Myra Cottrill said, “It is an honor to join 24 colleagues from across the country that completed the program’s rigorous requirements during the past three years.”
August 30, 2012 •
Campaign Finance and Ethics in the News
Keep up with the latest news with these campaign finance, ethics, and social media articles:
Campaign Finance
“Obama calls for constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United” by Byron Tau in Politico.
New York: “Candidates who didn’t file financial disclosure listed here” by Rick Karlin in Capitol Confidential.
Ethics
South Carolina: “‘Unusual alliance’ calls for tougher state ethics laws” by Andrew Shain in The State.
Social Media
“Answers from Barack Obama’s ‘Ask Me Anything’ on Reddit” by Micah L. Sifry on TechPresident.
“Obama vows to fight for Internet freedom on Reddit” by Joseph Marks in NextGov.
“Welcome to Excellence in Government Online” by Bryan Klopack in Government Executive.
August 29, 2012 •
Wednesday Lobbying and Campaign Finance News
Also government ethics, redistricting, and social media
Lobbying
“The Art of Going Corporate at Political Conventions” by Diane Brady in Bloomberg Business Week.
“K Street preps for Hurricane Isaac” by Dave Levinthal in Politico.
“Lobbyists, businesses pamper New Jersey delegates with food, parties” by Melissa Hayes in The Record.
District of Columbia: “New D.C. Campaign Finance Reform Would Ban Lobbyist Bundling” in the Blog of the Legal Times.
New York: “Lawmaker-lobby guidelines emerge” by Rick Karlin in the Albany Times Union.
Ottawa, Canada: “New lobby registry looks easy as pie” by Joanne Chianello in the Ottawa Citizen.
Campaign Finance
California: “Unleashing the Campaign Contributions of Corporations” by Eduardo Porter in The New York Times.
Pennsylvania: “With money to burn, Fitzpatrick won’t limit spending” by Gary Weckselblatt in The Intelligencer.
Washington: “Churches can’t be intermediary for gay-marriage law donations, watchdog says” by Rachel La Corte (Associated Press) in The Olympian.
Ethics
Illinois: “Emanuel appointees propose more oversight on ethics” by Hal Dardick in the Chicago Tribune.
New York: “NY ethics board hires another Cuomo aide” by The Associated Press in the Utica Observer Dispatch.
New York: “Silver’s Sexual-Harassment Payout May Get New York Ethics Review” by Freeman Klopott in Bloomberg Business Week.
New York: “New York Can’t Escape Corruption as Senator Huntley Indicted” by Freeman Klopott and David McLaughlin (Bloomberg) in the San Francisco Chronicle.
North Carolina: “Dalton rolls out ethics package, term limits” by Travis Fain in the Greensboro News and Record.
Utah: “Utah cities, counties, guv preparing for new ethics commission law” by Cathy McKitrick in the Salt Lake Tribune.
Redistricting
Arizona: “Ariz. GOP: Redistricting commission’s existence illegal” by Howard Fischer in East Valley Tribune.
Texas: “Texas redistricting plan ruled illegal” by Gary Martin and Gary Scharrer in the San Antonio Express-News.
Social Media
“Ann Romney Was Most-Searched, Most-Tweeted Tuesday Night Speaker” by Alex Fitzpatrick in Mashable.
August 27, 2012 •
Monday News Roundup
Here are the latest campaign finance, lobbying, and ethics articles to start your week:
Campaign Finance
Tennessee: “TN nears record for political donations” by Paul C. Barton in The Tennessean.
“Obama Outpaces Romney in Small-Dollar Donations” by Jonathan D. Salant in Bloomberg Business Week.
“Super PACs see GOP convention in Tampa as a fundraising opportunity” by Chris Moody in Yahoo News.
“Convention Contributions Down and More Discreet” by Janie Lorber in Roll Call.
“Romney ‘absolutely’ would return to public funding in ’16” by Darren Samuelsohn in Politico.
Lobbying
California: “20 California lawmakers accepted gifts despite ‘no-gift’ signs” by The Associated Press in the Mercury News.
New York: “Opponent hints McDonald is lobbyist” by Jimmy Vielkind in the Albany Times Union.
“The 10 Lobbying Firms That Rake In The Most Money” by Abby Rogers in Business Insider.
“Convention is not siren call for K Street firms” by Kevin Bogardus in The Hill.
Ethics
“N.Y Can’t Escape Corruption as Senator Says She’ll Be Arrested” by Freeman Klopott and David McLaughlin in Bloomberg News.
State and Federal Communications is proud to sponsor NPR coverage of the Democratic and Republican National Conventions on WAMU!
If you live in the Washington, D.C. area, be sure to listen to WAMU 88.5 American University Radio for your direct line to the National Conventions. Elizabeth Bartz, president and CEO of State and Federal Communications, said,”We are very excited to be a part of this crucial service!”
August 23, 2012 •
Obama Campaign Accepts Text Donations and Other Campaign Finance News
Enjoy these articles in today’s campaign finance news summary:
“Text ‘GIVE’ to Obama: President’s campaign launches cellphone donation drive” by Dan Eggen in The Washington Post.
“Super PAC Contributions Top $300 Million, Most Goes To GOP Groups” by Paul Blumenthal in the Huffington Post.
California: “L.A. campaign finance overhaul scaled back by City Council members” in the Los Angeles Times.
New Jersey: “N.J. judge: Former Newark mayor violated campaign finance laws” by Phil Gregory in Newsworks New Jersey.
August 22, 2012 •
Two New Apps Can Identify Political Ads
Sunlight Foundation’s Ad Hawk and Glassy Media’s Super PAC App
You now have two new tools for identifying who is behind a political ad that you see on TV. The Sunlight Foundation has released Ad Hawk and Glassy Media has offered Super PAC App. Both tools can listen to an ad and tell you what group is responsible for it, and Super PAC App can even point you to Politifact and FactCheck to weigh the facts surrounding the claims of the ad.
The apps are available for iPhone and Android devices.
For full news coverage, be sure to read:
“New apps can instantly identify political ads” by Brendan Sasso in The Hill.
“’Super PAC App’ knows when political ads stretch the truth” by John D. Sutter in CNN.com.
“Who’s Behind That Political Ad? This App Tells You” by Alex Fitzpatrick in Mashable.
August 22, 2012 •
Wednesday News Roundup
Today, we have lobbying, campaign finance, ethics, and redistricting news from around the country:
Lobbying
California: “Bill raises fees on lobbyists to fund disclosure” by The Associated Press in the Mercury News.
North Carolina: “Despite laws, NC legislators still ask lobbyists for money” by Laura Leslie in WRAL.com.
South Carolina: “SC: Top-paid State House lobbyist earns $673K” by Eric K. Ward in Watchdog.org.
Campaign Finance
Arizona: “State Sen. Gould: No improper campaign spending” by Rebekah L. Sanders in the Arizona Republic.
Ethics
Kansas: “Kansas lawmakers unwittingly broke open meetings law” by Brad Cooper in the Kansas City Star.
North Dakota: “Legislators to create code of conduct after North Dakota named ‘most corrupt state’” by Wendy Reuer in InForum.
South Carolina: “Haley, Wilson unveiling ethics reform package” by The Associated Press in the Greenville News.
Redistricting
“2012 Pre-election Turnover is Typical for a Redistricting Year” by Karl Kurtz in NCSL’s The Thicket blog.
Montana: “Commission wraps up proposal for new Montana House districts” by Mike Dennison in the Missoulian.
August 21, 2012 •
Tuesday Campaign Finance News Summary
A bill for greater disclosure in California, politicians owing fines in Louisiana, and more in today’s campaign finance news:
California: “Bill would let voters impose greater disclosure requirements on political campaign spending” by The Associated Press in The Republic.
Hawaii: “Cashing In: Hawaii’s Top Ten Campaign Donors” by Lindsey Txakeeyang in the Honolulu Civil Beat.
Louisiana: “Lee Zurik Investigation: Politicians owe the state thousands in fines” by Lee Zurik on WVUE Fox 8 News.
Nebraska: “Campaign finance donation removed from state tax return” in the Lincoln Journal Star.
“Romney’s campaign coffers have $60 million more than Obama’s” by T.W. Farnam in the Washington Post.
“Ask Kim Barker Anything About Campaign Finance (a Reddit Chat)” by Amanda Zamora in ProPublica.
August 21, 2012 •
Gov 2.0 News
Keeping up with the intersection of social media, government, and the political campaigns:
“New Online Game Puts Players in the Lawmaker’s Chair” by Sarah Lai Stirland in TechPresident.
“Study Examines Influence of Social Media on Interaction Between People and their Governments” by Lisa Goldman in TechPresident.
“Federal Mobile App Provides Real-Time Economic Stats” by Brian Heaton in Government Technology.
“Republicans plan a tech-heavy convention” by Steve Friess in Politico.
“Tweets Surrounding Paul Ryan Pick May Have Violated Electioneering Rules” by Emma Dumain in Roll Call.
“Social Media and Politics: An Interview with George Scoville” by Bianca Sciotti in the Independent Voter Network.
August 20, 2012 •
Monday News Roundup
Here are the latest lobbying, campaign finance, and ethics articles to start your week:
Lobbying
“Lawmakers Rack Up Hefty Bills Wining and Dining Donors” by Emily Cahn in Roll Call.
“Here’s How Wall Street Finds Out Exactly What’s Going On In Congress All The Time” by Linette Lopez in Business Insider.
Campaign Finance
“Can the super-rich buy American elections?” by Mark Colvin on ABC News.
“From Citizens United to Super PACs: A Campaign Finance Reading Guide” by Amanda Zamora in ProPublica.
“Non-profits outspending Super PACs” by Alicia Budich, Robert Hendin in CBS News’ Face the Nation.
Ethics
Pennsylvania: “Report faults ethics board: Small staff and lack of authority cited” by Melissa Daniels in the Tribune-Democrat.
August 17, 2012 •
NCSL Offers Legislative Summit Resources Online
August 17, 2012 •
Text Message Campaign Donations and Other Government Relations News
Let’s wrap up the week with the very latest campaign finance, lobbying, and government ethics news!
Campaign Finance
“Text Message Donations Good for Democracy, Risky for Privacy” by Rachel Levinson-Waldman in Wired.
“In Win for Wireless Industry, FEC Clarifies Rules for Texting Campaign Contributions” by Jenna Greene in The Blog of Legal Times.
Louisiana: “Ethics board reviewing campaign finance rules” by The Associated Press in the Daily Comet.
Tennessee: “TN election finance board investigates donor, PAC contributions” by The Associated Press in the Tennessean.
Lobbying
“Wall Street Lobbying Efforts Reach $4.2 Billion Since 2006, Or $1,331 A Minute, Report States” by Nick Wing in the Huffington Post.
Florida: “In session or out, lobbying remains a big business” by Bill Cotterrell in the Florida Current.
New York: “Lobby ban snags offer of free work” by Jimmy Vielkind in the Albany Times Union.
Pennsylvania: “State spends less on federal lobbying but still leads the nation” by Melissa Daniels in the Daily Local News.
Ethics
California: “Bill to limit gifts to California lawmakers dies a quiet death” by Jim Sanders in the Sacramento Bee.
Georgia: “Sen. Balfour to pay $5,000 to settle ethics case” by Ray Henry (Associated Press) in the San Francisco Chronicle.
State and Federal Communications, Inc. provides research and consulting services for government relations professionals on lobbying laws, procurement lobbying laws, political contribution laws in the United States and Canada. Learn more by visiting stateandfed.com.
